Drake University Law School has been named a Best Value Law School by preLaw Magazine for the 2023–2024 academic year.

The Best Value rankings spotlight law schools whose graduates excel on the bar exam and secure employment in the legal field without substantial financial burden. preLaw Magazine assessed all 197 ABA-accredited law schools in the country based on cost and graduate outcomes. This year, Drake Law School is positioned as the 9th Best Value private law school in the nation.

The Best Value rankings heavily weigh two critical indicators of academic achievement and professional preparedness — bar passage rate and graduate employment rate — as well as overall cost. The employment rate for the Drake Law Class of 2022 in JD or JD-preferred positions was 92%. In addition, an impressive 95% of Drake graduates passed the July 2023 Iowa bar exam on their first attempt, a testament to Drake’s dedication to equipping its students for immediate practice readiness upon graduation.

Support in the form of scholarships plays a big role in helping students manage expenses. In recent years, Drake Law School has prioritized efforts to help reduce student debt. This year, 85% of all students receive support ranging from partial to full tuition scholarships.

“Strong alumni support and careful stewardship of resources have allowed us to offer very high-quality legal education at a reasonable cost,” said Dean Jerry Anderson. “We believe that this top-10 ranking accurately reflects the powerful lifetime earnings benefit of a Drake Law degree.”

Read the complete list of Best Value law schools.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School

Two Drake students who are members of the Phi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. were selected for their National Leadership Delta Program.  This is a competitive program that is offered to collegiate members across seven regions. The women submitted applications, letters of recommendation and participated in an interview process and were selected as two of the 38 women in this year’s cohort.

The Leadership DELTA (Defining Emerging Leadership Through Advocacy) program is an eight-month leadership development program for collegiate members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. focused on personal, professional and leadership development, self-care; and networking.

Please help us congratulate Trinity Harris and Jade Sklar!

— Liz Cadwell, Director, Fraternity and Sorority Life

Angela Gallagher has joined the Zimpleman College of Business to serve as its new director of Executive Education. A seasoned strategic advisor, Angela brings a wealth of knowledge as a result of a distinguished career that has included corporate and leadership communications, leading organizational culture transformations, team building and staff development initiatives. She was most recently manager of employee communications for John Deere. Through a range of leadership roles at John Deere over 22 years, Gallagher gained a deep global perspective and cross-cultural understanding of workplace dynamics. She is a Drake alum and currently an executive coach in the university’s executive education program.

“Angela is well suited to advance the core offerings of Drake’s Executive Education program and will thoughtfully expand our services to more C-suite executives, emerging leaders and other life-long learners who recognize that continuous learning leads to success,” said Alejandro Hernandez, the dean of the Zimpleman College of Business. “She is known for her ability to implement sustainable change, increase organizational impact, and empower teams to achieve business results.”

She achieved her coaching certification through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and is a Women Unlimited LEAD graduate. She earned a master of business administration degree from Drake University and a bachelor of business administration from Iowa State University. Angela has also been active in a number of central Iowa non-profits serving as a strategic advisor with more than 25 years of proven results in board leadership, fundraising, and volunteer engagement.

— Alejandro Hernandez, Dean, Zimpleman College of Business

Drake Law Review is tied for 30^th place in a field of more than 1,500 journals in the Washington & Lee (W&L) Law Journal Rankings. The ranking reflects the number of court decisions that have cited the Law Review during the five-year period from 2018-2022. Drake Law Review has ranked in the top 50 most-cited law reviews every year but two since 2003.

Maintained by the W&L Law Library, the rankings are a world-recognized resource for identifying and comparing law journals by subject, country of publication, or rank across several categories relevant to scholars and publishers. The ranking for case citations includes more than 660 student-edited journals.

Drake Law Review’s exemplary articles, notes, and lectures are academically and practically relevant to professors, judges, practitioners, and law students. The Law Review is consistently recognized as one of the top student-published law journals in the nation. This case citation ranking is one indication of how helpful the articles are to the judiciary in writing opinions.

Professor Keith Miller, faculty advisor to the Law Review, attributes the ranking to the tradition of excellence that is passed from one year’s staff to the next. “All current and former staff members should be proud of this recognition of their commitment to making the Law Review an outstanding resource for the courts, and the professional and academic communities,” Miller said. “Congratulations to all the current members and to the alumni of the Law Review.”

To learn more, visit the Drake Law Review website here: www.drakelawreview.org/.

Taylor Johnson, Law School

Drake University Law School earned an A ranking for child and family law in preLaw magazine, placing Drake among the top 28 law schools in the nation for this field. This is the sixth year in a row that Drake Law received recognition for excellence in child and family law.

The publication based the rankings on the law schools’ offerings in family law, including clinical programs, certificates, externships, and courses. The results are reported in preLaw’s Back to School 2023 issue.

For two decades, the Joan & Lyle Middleton Center for Children’s Rights has stood as the foundation of Drake University’s esteemed children’s rights program. It has consistently taken the lead at local, statewide, and national levels in enhancing child welfare and juvenile justice systems through its commitment to training, advocacy, and litigation. Within the Middleton Center for Children’s Rights, the Children’s Rights Clinic plays a pivotal role, equipping law students with the skills and knowledge necessary for fulfilling and prosperous careers in child advocacy.

The issue highlighted Drake Law School’s newest student organization, the Youth Law Society. This organization was formed to serve and engage with children in the community. The Youth Law Society helps high school students complete forms for federal student aid. Members also volunteer to read with local elementary school students. Plans for the fall include professional networking events and a guest speaker who will talk about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision involving the Indian Child Welfare Act.

“Drake Law is great place for students interested in juvenile or family law practice to get the mentorship and practical training they need to hit the ground running upon graduation,” Professor Nickole Miller said. “I am proud of the work student attorneys in the Children’s Rights Clinic are doing to protect and expand the rights of children and youth through direct legal representation in court and administrative proceedings, systemic advocacy work, and community education projects.”

Read the full issue online (for the Youth Law Society highlight, visit pages 10/11 and for family law rankings, see page 44).

Taylor Johnson, Law School

Drake University Law School earned an A+ ranking for human rights law in preLaw magazine, placing Drake among the top ten law schools in the nation for this field.

The publication based the rankings on law schools’ offerings in human rights law, including clinical programs, certificates, externships, partnerships, and courses. The results are reported in preLaw’s Back to School 2023 issue.

The issue highlights the collaboration between Drake Law School and attorneys from Dentons Davis Brown to organize an LGBTQ+ legal clinic. The clinic offered guidance to members of the LGBTQ+ community, addressing concerns such as legal name changes, sex designation changes, and health care provisions such as powers of attorney.

Breanna Young, attorney at Dentons Davis Brown and former adjunct professor at Drake Law School said, “We saw a real need to step up and help empower and protect people by helping them get their legal documents in place.”

Read the full issue online. (page 39)

Taylor Johnson, Law School

In June 2023, the Drake Board of Trustees approved the pursuit of an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Once approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing (IBON) and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the first cohort will begin in Fall 2024. The College will also seek national accreditation.

Students enrolled in the 3 + 1 ABSN program will have the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, along with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences. The accelerated BSN degree will require three semesters of full-time coursework throughout the fall, spring, and summer following the completion of prerequisites.

The program will partner with Broadlawns Medical Center which will provide preceptorships, clinical education, and additional facilities and laboratory spaces. The partnership will allow the program to offer students a range of experiences among diverse patient populations.

“The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences believes that investing in the education and preparation of nurses is important for the overall well-being of our communities,” said CPHS dean and professor Renae Chesnut. “By offering an intensive curriculum that compresses the requirements into a condensed timeframe, we are accelerating the pathway for individuals who are passionate about making a difference in people’s lives and helping bridge the gap between healthcare needs and the available nursing workforce.”

Applications to the program will become available following the IBON and HLC approvals.

Congratulations to Drake Law Professor Melissa Weresh, the 2023 recipient of the Association of Legal Writing Directors’ (ALWD) Linda Berger Award for Excellence in Legal Writing Scholarship. The Berger Award is ALWD’s highest award recognizing scholarship in the field of legal writing. It specifically recognizes the recipient’s lifetime dedication to and advancement of legal writing scholarship.

Weresh is the Dwight D. Opperman Distinguished Professor of Law and the Herb and Karen Baum Chair of Ethics in the Professions at Drake University. Her scholarship examines the art, science, and ethics of persuasion and advocates for the modernization of law school teaching. Mel has championed the professionalization of the legal writing discipline, including improving status for legal writing faculty. She has previously served as president of the Legal Writing Institute, chair of the AALS Teaching Methods Section, member of the LexisNexis Law School Publishing Advisory Board, and member of the Editorial Boards of both Legal Communication & Rhetoric: JALWD and The Journal of Legal Education. In 2017, she was awarded the Thomas F. Blackwell Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Legal Writing.

— Theresa Howard, Law School

Drake University Law School is pleased to announce the arrival of two outstanding new faculty members, Christoph Henkel and Alexa Perez. Professor of Law Christoph Henkel brings a distinct international and comparative perspective to Drake’s business law faculty. He will teach Business Organizations, Contract Drafting, and other upper-level business law courses. Assistant Professor of Law Alexa Perez brings noteworthy expertise in both civil and criminal law gained from her experience as a federal prosecutor and commercial litigation associate. Perez will teach Civil Procedure and Evidence.

“Our newly appointed faculty members possess remarkable expertise within their specific fields and boast impressive qualifications,” said Jerry Anderson, dean of the law school. “Their innovative viewpoints and enthusiasm will align perfectly with our current faculty, fostering the achievements of our students.”

Christoph Henkel joins Drake from Mississippi College School of Law where he taught a variety of business law courses and was co-director of the International and Comparative Law Center. Henkel also served as a visiting professor on the law faculties at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law and University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. Henkel holds an SJD and LLM degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He earned a JD equivalent at the Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, Germany, and has practiced law in Europe and the United States. His research encompasses banking law, Fintech, entrepreneurial law, and wide range of corporate subjects.

Alexa Perez received her JD from the University of Chicago Law School, and a BA in English summa cum laude from the University of Florida. She served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, where she prosecuted racketeering, money-laundering, drug, and gun related offenses. Prior to that, she was a managing associate at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago where she represented Fortune 500 companies in a wide range of legal proceedings including, securities fraud class actions, general commercial disputes, and government investigations and enforcement actions. She also clerked for the Honorable Edmond Chang on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School